It was a few days after the wedding when Felix was eating breakfast when he finally had a chance to read that week's paper. He took one glance at it and dropped his cup as well as the paper.

Cecily came running into the kitchen to see what was wrong, "Felix, you dropped your cup and the water has spilled everywhere! Well, aren't you even going to clean up after yourself or I am expected to do it?"

Felix put his head in his hands and began shaking his head, "Cecily," he whispered, hardly able to muster the courage to say a few words, "Its . . . its . . . just read the headline."

Cecily was terrified. What could be so horrible in the headline of the newspaper. She only knew that whatever it was it must be terribly serious. So, she slowly bent down to grab the paper. Cecily was terrified to turn it over, dreading what the headline might be, it read, "At War: Military Conscription For Men 20 - 45."

Cecily choked, "Fe . . . Fe . . . Felix, your birthday . . . just three months . . . it can't be." She began sobbing uncontrollably. Felix and herself had always fought, teased, and made fun of eachother, but it wasn't until that moment that she realized how much her brother meant to her. This wasn't the same as him wanting to join the navy, things had become so bad that the government issued a draft.

Felix immediately went over to his sister and embraced her in a brotherly hug, "Shhhhh," he said in an attempt to calm her, "I don't have to go just yet. Besides, for all we know the war might not be nearly as bad by the time I am twenty. They might not even have the draft issued by then." He knew that was untrue but at that moment he was just trying to comfort his sister.

All of a sudden Alec and Janet came in, "Cecily, Felix!" Alec said, "What in heaven's name is the matter?" He grabbed the newspaper that was in Cecily's hand. He assumed that it might have something to do with the matter. Alec and Janet both looked at it at the same time, "Oh my goodness," Alec whispered. Janet just stood there frozen, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Oh Alec," Janet cried, "It . . . it . . . can't . . . but." Alec embraced his wife while trying to comfort her. Cecily finally let go of Felix, letting him go hug their mother. They just hugged, rocking back and forth.

"Mother, everything will be okay. I'm not even twenty yet," he reiterated the same words he said to his sister, "Besides, for all we know the war might not be nearly as bad by then. They might not even have the draft issued by then." Felix and Alec both knew that was untrue, but these words were enough for Janet to finally let go of her son and say a few words.

"Oh Felix," she cried, "I hope you are right, I don't know how I could ever let you go if it was that dangerous overseas."

—-

At the same time Izzy was eating breakfast with her family. They hadn't gotten the paper yet so they were not aware of the dreadful news. "Izzy," Clive said, "Muriel and I have something to tell you." Izzy simply nodded her head since she was in the middle of chewing her eggs. "Your brother goes to school in Halifax, and as far as my job is concerned it would be much easier to be in Halifax all the time. So, Muriel and I have talked it over, and we think that it would be best for all concerned if we moved to Halifax."

Izzy just sat there stunned at what she had just heard. She waited a few seconds to respond, hoping that this was a terrible joke, "All of us?" She was hoping that her father just meant himself and Muriel and that she was going to stay in Avonlea.

Muriel began staring at the floor, she knew that Izzy wouldn't respond well to moving. She had tried to explain to Clive Izzy's delicate situation, but he didn't make it easy for her to explain that his daughter wouldn't want to leave because she was in love. "Izzy," Muriel said, trying to explain things as nicely as possible, "I am afraid that you misunderstand. We are all moving to Halifax. I realize that you have many friends here, but you can visit them as often as you like." Muriel knew that the thought of visiting friends wouldn't be too comforting to Izzy at the moment, but she couldn't think of anything comforting to tell her.

Izzy was shocked, "What! You mean that you have decided to move without even asking me. Not only did you not ask me what I would think about it, you didn't even tell me until you already decided we were going to do it! Well, you two are welcome to go to Halifax, but I am staying here. Even if you sell the house. I will pitch a tent and live on the side of the road if I have to, but I am sure that I will be welcome to stay at King farm. I don't care what you say, you can't make me go with you!"

Izzy was about to retreat to her room, but Clive stopped her, "How dare you talk to me in that tone of voice!" He began talking again in a more calm tone, "Besides, you hate all that gossips in this town. You only have one best friend, Cecily. Muriel just said that you can visit her as often as you like, and I am sure that Alec and Janet will let her come to Halifax. Don't you like that idea of living close to Morgan?"

"This isn't about Morgan! You said that I can visit Avonlea as often as I like, so I would like to visit for about eleven months out of the year."

At this point Clive was baffled by his daughter's behavior. He knew that the idea of living somewhere else would take some getting used to, but he couldn't understand why she was reacting like this, "Izzy," he scoffed, "at that rate it would be more like you visiting us in Halifax!"

"There, it's settled then! I will live in Avonlea and visit you about one month every year." Izzy knew that she couldn't leave, not when things were finally working out between her and Felix. Even if things weren't going well between the two of them she couldn't leave Avonlea. How could she? I was the only place that she was able to call home. There was something special and magical about this town and the island. She could never leave it.

Clive was beginning to get quite impatient with his daughter, "Izzy! Why won't you go? Why won't you leave? Why won't you . . ."

"Because of Felix!" Izzy yelled. Then, she immediately covered her mouth, she couldn't believe what she had just said. She could have said anything; she could have said that her friends were here, she could have said that the island was special to her, she could have said that it was the first place that she was able to refer to as home. Instead, she told her father that she couldn't leave because of a boy. She was mortified.

Izzy bolted up the stairs. She went straight to her room. "Now I've done it. I'll have to wear a paper bag over my head, in my own household on top of that! And now . . . now I'll have to go to Halifax. Now that father knows about Felix he would never let me stay."

"Muriel, did you know about this? I mean, was this what you meant when you said I had to find the secret piece to the puzzle?" without giving Muriel a chance to respond he continued, "But Izzy can't be in love! She is too young. She doesn't know what love is," Clive said, utterly confused.

"Clive, see! That is your problem. You keep on saying that she is too young. The missing piece to the puzzle isn't Felix, it is that Izzy isn't a little girl anymore. She is a young adult, and is simply going through things that a girl . . . woman her age tends to go through.

Clive sat there shocked. His little girl couldn't be a woman, or could she? She was only seventeen. "Oh Muriel, my little girl has gone and grown up on me. I suppose that I never saw it happen because I never wanted it too. Not to say that I am not happy with the way she has turned out, but she has changed so much. It seems like only yesterday she was asking me to go over to King farm to play baseball with that King boy; now, she wants to go there to do who knows what with him! I guess that the past year I never realized. Well, I guess some things never change, if I had wanted to move a few years ago she probably wouldn't want to go because she would miss Felix too much . . . Muriel, I will go upstairs and talk to her."

"Well Clive, you have finally figured it out. Now, you go upstairs and have that talk with your daughter," Muriel needn't say anything else. She knew that Clive would do the right thing.

Clive knocked on Izzy's door, "Can I come in?"

At this point Izzy was about to cry hysterically, but when she heard her father's voice she made an attempt to gather herself, "I would rather you not," she failed miserably.

"Please Izzy, I just want to talk to you," Clive knew that she was too mortified to talk to him and wouldn't open the door for some time so he decided to let himself in.

He slowly opened the door and stuck his head in. She was just sitting on her bed, looking out the window. He finally came into the room, "Izzy?"

Izzy quickly turned around, she hadn't realized that he had come in, "Father."

"Izzy," he sighed, "I want to say something to you. I just want you to listen." He took a second to look at his daughter. She really had grown up. She was so pretty, she looked just like her mother. Clive continued, "Izzy, you have . . . you've grown so much. You have matured in so many ways: you have finished school, you know how to run a home (and a store), you . . . you have changed in so many ways. I remember how everytime I would leave you always said to me, 'Remember father, no dresses,' well now it's been two years since you've worn pants other than to do the chores. You always used to talk about how stupid the other girls were and how you only wanted to play with the boys. I remember how all of the boys said that you were 'one of them'. You were the only girl that all of the boys used to love being around," Clive realized that he was just babbling on so he started again, "Izzy what I am trying to say is that you have grown up," there were tears in his eyes, "I never realized it. Now that you have grown up . . . things have . . . changed. So, I'll let you stay in Avonlea. You can run the store and live in the house," he paused, "I shouldn't have expected you to stay with us forever, you have grown up . . . I'll miss my little girl."

Clive was just about to walk out of Izzy's room when Izzy bolted up and went to hug him, "Father . . . thank you. And you have not lost your little girl, not entirely. I have grown up and changed and I will continue to, but I have found that inside every little girl is a woman and inside every woman there is a little girl. I will change, but we will never change . . . not really," with tears streaming down her face she embraced her father in a hug.

Clive was speechless, he hugged her for the longest time then said, "You'll visit, right."

"Of course," Izzy whispered, "I don't know how I could survive if I didn't."

"And promise me," Clive continued, "Promise me that no matter how many men come into your life that you will always remember that I am here for you too."

"Oh father," she cried, "You will always be special. I need you. No one could ever take your place."

They hugged even more until finally Clive let go to look at his daughter, "Well, why don't you go over to King farm and tell them that Muriel and I will be moving. Besides, I'm sure that a certain someone will be happy to see you."

Izzy smiled, she was so happy that her father understood, "Thank you father." And with that she headed over to King farm.